Spring

“So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” – 1 Corinthians 3:7

The arrival of spring has seemed more poignant this year than ever: a reminder that there is a whole world of flora and fauna out there unaffected by recent events. And with nowhere to go but the local outdoors, we have all been present a bit more, I think, to the nature right around us. Our kids have become familiar by now with their favorite fuzzy leaves in the neighborhood, we notice bees and hummingbirds around our orange tree, and appreciate how the golden poppies unfurl so cheerfully every morning.

I have no doubt that part of the lesson during this time is exactly what Paul talks about here. We tend to think we run our lives. That we make things happen. That everything can be optimized to achieve desired outcomes. And while there does need to be a planter and a waterer, which one of us can understand the mystery of a root breaking open the seed? Or the movement from bud to flower to fruit? Do we ultimately make any of these things happen? Can we hurry any of it along? Can we create the life we want to see? Ultimately, no. Paul’s language is unequivocal: we are not anything. It is only God that gives the growth. And slowly, watching the world come to life around us, we are being taught to let go of our hold on our lives. We are being compelled to loosen our grip just a bit from our efforts to control and achieve and produce. “You are God’s field,” Paul says (3:9). It is God who gives the growth.